Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play High By The Beach on piano
Written by Elizabeth Grant, Rick Nowels & others
- B minor
- 4/4
- 66 BPM
- 2015
- Tricky
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn High By The Beach in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bm – G – Em – F#
How it goes
High By The Beach sits in B minor: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; G is G, B and D; Em is E, G and B; F# is F#, A# and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmiGVIEmivF#V- BmB · D · F#
- GG · B · D
- EmE · G · B
- F#F# · A# · C#
- 2
Left hand: Eager heartbeat
How it goes
Jumps in early on the “and” before beat 3, like it can’t wait. Musicians call it root bass · pop push 1 · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 403 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Trotting-sleigh chords
How it goes
Three quick chords on every beat: a rolling, joyful gallop. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 66 BPM
How it goes
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: G – A – Bm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GABm- AA · C# · E
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Questions about High By The Beach
What chords are in High By The Beach?
The loop is Bm – G – Em – F# (i – bVI – iv – V) in B minor, and the song ends on G – A – Bm.
What key is High By The Beach in?
B minor, at about 66 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in High By The Beach?
Eager heartbeat: root bass · pop push 1 · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is High By The Beach easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.